Clothes-pounder



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SARDIS THOMSON, OF WEST OTIS, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOTHES-POUNDER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,240, datedMay 5, 1857.

To all whom may concern.'

Be it known that l, Simms Ti-IoMsoN, of Vest Otis, in the county of Berkshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Clothes-Founder; and l do hereby declare that the following a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure l represents a perspective view; Fig. 2, a vertical section in its natural position; Fig. 3, a vertical section with piston forced down to its lowest position; Fig. 4, the different parts of the piston and a nut intended to confine them to the rod; the same letters having reference to like parts in all the figures.

My invention consists in a bell mouthed cylinder nearly closed at the smaller end, a piston, piston-rod, spiral-spring and handle, so combined that a downward torce acting upon the handle against the spring at the instant of percussion causes the piston to descend in the cylinder, the same being re*- turned by the recoil of the spring on the removal of the force from the handle, the descent t'orcing the water through the clothes by the pressure of air, and its return raising the clothes by suction from the bottom of the tub--both of which operations are calculated to agitate the liquid and effect the cleansing of the clothes.

The construction is as follows:

A is the cylinder in which the piston B is made to descend by a torce applied to the handle E acting through the piston-rod C. The cylinder is bell-shaped at its lower end and sealed at the upper end excepting a perforation to admit the piston-rod C, which rod is inserted in the handle E ot which it is a continuation-that part of it which is between the cylinder and its insertion in the handle being encircled by the spiral spring D.

B is the piston, which, when in a state of rest, is held by the .torce of the spring at the upper end of the cylinder as seen in Fig. 2, but when the pounder is thrust downward, as soon as the cylinder is arrested by striking against the cloth, the force still acting upon the handle causes the piston to descend to the lower part ot the cylinder seen in Fig. 3, thus expelling the air from the cylinder in the direction of the blow. On the removal ot' the downward force from the handle the recoil ot' the spring brings back the piston to its original position at the upper part of the cylinderl thereby raising the clothes from the bottom of the tub as mentioned above.

Fig. 4 shows the different parts of the piston o a giving a horizontal view of the two metallic plates one of which is placed on either side of the packing of which 7) is a horizontal view these being secured on the piston-rod by the nut c.

Having thus described my, invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The bell-shaped cylinder in combination with the piston, piston-rod, spring' and handle or other equivalents to produce the same effect; viz, thecleansing or washing clothes agitating the liquid by the presi sure ot' air substantially the same as described above andto be applied to the purposes set itorth.

SARDIS THOMSON. Vitnesses H. L. BoswoRTH, L. H. THOMSON. 

